Band The N is Optional
by ArcherFlameConstantine
Summary: When the Golden Trio has a fallingout, Hermione, now Head Girl, is left to fend for herself. Her new passion is playing her guitar, and when a certain Malfoy and a new student discover her talent, their band's need for a lead singer is now more prominent.
1. A Guitar, a Train Ride, and Salem

"Hon, are you really going to bring that with you?" Lynnette Granger asked her daughter.  
Hermione fingered the red and black strap of her guitar case with a small pout. "Yeeeesss. Come on, Mom"  
Lynnette crumpled. "Alright. Just don't complain to me when you have a massive hernia"  
Her daughter laghed. Her guitar was like her new best friend. The irony of this thought hit her as she remembered the falling out she'd had with Harry and Ron at the end of sixth year. "Hmph!" she thought. She figured her shiny red, black, and white striped electric guitar was a better friend then they had ever been. "Snap out of it,Herm!" her father commanded. "We have to go now if you don't want to be late and miss the train!" "Gah!" Hermione ran for the car. "Smooth move, genius! What would they think of the Head Girl showed up late"

Hermione stood on her toes to see above the crowds on Platform 9 2/3 . It wasn't to much avail, though. There wasn't anyone worth looking for, really, now that she and the boys had separated. She felt somewhat alone in the crowd. "At least I'm cute.." she thought wryly, but it was true. She'd quite blossomed over the summer. She'd grow at leat three inches, filled out a little, and tamed her hair. And just then, standing there in her slim black jeans and red shirt that had "ROCKER" emblazoned across the front,she didn't look too bad. Well, that's what the tall blonde young man standing behind her thought, anyway. And that might've been what influenced his next move, which was to go up behind her, while she was vulnerable and unsuspecting, and whispering, " Looking for someone, Granger"  
She gave a jolt and fell of her toes quite violently and onto the guy behind her, who happened to be none other than Draco Malfoy, Prince of Slytherin. "Whoa!" he exclaimed and could do nothing but catch the falling girl,lest they both topple over. "Sorry-" she started dusting herself off, but then saw who it was who caused her fall. " Oh. What's your problem"  
He smirked. " I've a great many and no derie to speak of them, but since you asked...firstly, I'm a Head, which I can only you are too, which is, in itself, something of a problem. Oh, and Harry Potter is still alive, which just kills me!" he raised an eyebrow at her hard-set expression. "And I'm guessing I hit a sore nerve"  
"No, Malfoy," she said icily. Her next words shocked him. "I'd just hate to think that we'd have anything in common." And with that, she turned on her heel and walked away, onto the train.  
Once she'd reported to the Head Cabin, met with the Prefects, and found a compartment to sit in (all sans Malfoy), she pulled out her guitar (she'd named it George) and tried to decide what to play. She was a bit depressed-feeling, so something uptempo and maybe a little crazy definitely appealed to her. Coming to a conclusion, she tuned George and began to play an edited version of "All the Things She Said" by t.a.T.u., a Russian acid jazz group. "All the things she said All the things she said Running through my head Running through my head All the things she said I'm in serious ----, I feel totally lost If I'm asking for help, it's only because Being with you has opened my eyes Could I ever believe such a perfect surprise?"

Before she could sing the second chorus, she heard applause from the doorway of her cabin. She looked up to see two boys standing a few feet in front of her and grinning. One she recognized as the duty-negligent Head Boy, the other she was unable to identify.  
"Malfoy, why are you and your boyfriend satnding in my doorway clapping?" she asked acidly.  
"One, this is not my boyfriend but my cousin; you know I don't swing that way. Two, did you go deaf and not hear yourself? That was really...pretty good," he replied almost hesitant to say nice things about a long-time enemy.  
His cousin, who resembled him enough execept that he was taller with curly brown hair, elbowed him. " Draco Whatever-your-middle-name-is Malfoy! I do believe that was a gross understatement! It would be like saying Lucius is a 'little bit moody' or that Dumbledore is 'a wee bit eccentric'. I'm sorry, my cousin has a natural aversion to kindness." He held out his hand, "I'm Salem Malfoy. I just tranferred this year from Durmstrang." 


	2. A Rude Expulsion and A Nice Conversation

Chapter Two- The Sovereign

Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING! I'M POOR! (heh heh. I WAS actually hit by Hurricane Katrina. Vive la Mississippi!)

BIG HUGS and thank-yous to all of you guys who reviewed! It seriously made my day!

TonksFan693-Thank you! I'm glad you liked it! Because I have...um, like, no social life, I'll update fairly often! giggles And if I hit a dry spell, I'll definitely give you fair warning!

SportsLuva13- I'm soooo glad you think so! If you like fics like this, you might try "I'm With the Band" by AZgirl215. She's really where I got the idea for mine, so there will be some definite similarities, but I tried to keep mine as original as possible. BTW, what kind of sports do you like? I'm way into softball. (Like, "has-played-for-eight-years-" Into!)

Crazysugarhighpixie-Thanks ever so much! I know EXACTLY what you mean about Harry and Ron. (annoying prats) Harry's OK, but I really wish J.K. Rowling would let Ron just DIE ALREADY! laughs nervously (I'm NOT insane. Really!)

"Have you ever considered joining a band? Because I can name at least five who'd kill for that kind of talent on their roster"  
She shook his hand. " I'm Hermione Granger, and no. I didn't know there were even any at Hogwarts"  
Salem looked incredulous. " Granger? YOU"re the muggleborn genius my unle Lucius is always bitching about? Wow. You are NOT what I expected."." She shot a bold glare in Draco's direction.  
"This is true. She was rather ugly and bookish," the blonde nodded sagaciously. "What happened"  
"Keyword there being 'was'. Anyway, what do you care?" she snapped. "You never expressed any interest in the past other than making my life hell." She scoffed. "In fact, what am I DOING! Get the bloody hell out of my cabin! It was nice meeting you, Salem, but you must understand that I cannot STAND your cousin"  
"That's quite understandable," he said, ever cheerful. Then, to her surprise, he said, "Draco, you heard her: go away. I'll find you later. Oh, and gather the Sovereign. We need to have a band meeting later"  
"But-" Draco protested.  
"Gather. The. Sovereign," Salem commanded with SOME authority. His cousin looked hateful as he left.  
"Thanks for that," Hermone grinned.  
"No problem. Draco's a bit younger than me, so I get to boss him around!" he said playfully.  
" Hey," Hermione asked as something occered to her. "You said you just tranferred from Durmstrang, right?" At his nod, she continued, " You didn't hear anything about me there did you"  
"Mmm," he thought about it and replied, "no. Can't say that I did. Why"  
She looked relieved. "Well, I was sort of going out with someone there who was...somewhat, well, about four years older than me"  
" A Durmstrang grump can get a girlfriend!" he demanded, shocked. "I must know who this luck man was"  
"...errviktorkrum," she replied quickly, all the word blending together.  
"Who?" Salem asked.  
She took a deep breath. "Viktor Krum. We aren't... together anymore, though"  
" Holy hell!" he exclaimed. " That was YOU!" She nodded hesitantly.  
" Dear God, if that meathead said one thing about his 'Her-my-nee', he said rattled on a million times! I can't believe you broke up"  
She laughed. " Yeah. He was so much older. I went to visit him a summer or two ago, and we were just... on different levels"  
"Wow," he repeated. " You have gooooood tastes"  
" Er, thanks. I've never gotten that reaction from a guy before. From girls, absolutely! But not from any straight man I've ever met"  
"Oh, don't worry; I'm not," he confided.  
This was a bit of a shock to her. "Oh...well, I'm glad I know." Truth be told, she was slightly attracted to the brown-haired Malfoy. Darn.  
As he was about to reply, the cabin door slid open. Draco Malfoy poked his head in. ( He's not bad looking, Hermione thought to herself. NO, I DID NOT JUST THINK THAT! I blame it on hormones)  
"Salem, the Sovereign is all together. If you want to meet now, you'd better come on"  
"Alrighty," Salem grinned. " Come 'long, Hermione." He was met with two confused looks.  
Draco was the first to speak. " She's not coming! It's a BAND meeting"  
"You seem to forget, my dear little cousin," Salem smiled peacefully. "While we have a full instrumental section for the Sovereign (that's our band, he added for Hermione's benefit), we are in DESPERATE need of lead singer." And in one grand, sweeping motion, he gestured to the dazed-looking brunette holding a guitar case to his left. Both Draco and Hermione had to employ metaphorical spatulas to scrape their jaws off the floor. 


	3. A Good Band and a Better Start

Chapter Three- A Good Band and a Better Start

StaroftheEarth- Wha thank you, dahlin'ཀ (Okay, no more Southern accent. Someday I will get over the fact that I've lived in Mississippi all my life and have yet to pick up one of those Ya-Ya Sisterhood Accents. Darn itཀ) I wish I could play too, but been there, done that. All I can play is Mary Had A Little Lamb. XD

Guinevere Weasley-Malfoy- First off, Gwen, LOVE THE NAMEཀཀཀཀ (I think I'll steal it. Hmm... Katelyn Evans-Malfoy. Niiiice. Evans is really my **mom's** maiden name, but I refuse to use my full name online, and my real last name sounds uber-dorky with Malfoy's.) And, yeppers, that be how it are pr'nouncedཀཀ Good job! Thanks for reviewing!

"Are you insane?ཀ" Draco demanded. "Are you actually aware of the _other_ members of the Sovereign? Not to mention the fact that the are _all Slytherins_?ཀ"

"Well," Salem replied cheekily, " _they_'ll just have to get over it. Now, my dear cousin-slash-bandmate, shall we go?"

"Fine," Malfoy sneered and said acidly. "Sometimes I sort of hate you. But...hey, Granger, what about you? You _are _the person in question. Do you even _want_ to be in the band?"

He was obviously praying that she'd say 'no', or even 'maybe'. Hermione noticed this and replied with equal vehemence, "Of course. You prat, why would I not, other than the obvious disadvantage of being in your company more that anyone would _ever desire? _But you know, I'll just have to _get over it._ As will you. I know you can't handle my perceptibly intimidating presence for too long or you'll just be _overwhelmed_ by your personal, ferret-like shortcomings."

"Damn." Salem gave a low whistle. "I do believe you just got _told_ by a Gryffindor girl!"

Malfoy grimaced. "Shut up." Then he sighed in resignation, "Fine. Bring her along if you must, but we need to meet with the others. They really have no qualms about leaving if you don't come."

"Alright-y then!" Salem grinned and motioned to Hermione. She nodded.

"GOOD MORNING, VIETNAM!" Salem boomed, slamming the door to the compartment open. Half the people in the compartment looked as if they were _seriously_ considering the use of more than one (or two) of the three Unforgivables. Not to mention their resentment at Hermione's presence.

"What the bloody hell is _she _doing here!" seemed to be the general response to the latter annoyance. And it also seemed to be yelled from the mouths of, well, everyone. Poor Salem was bombarded with questions as to his Hermione, his tardiness, and/or his personal sanity.

"Would everyone please SHUT UP!" he finally yelled. Everyone fell silent. Hermione looked around and tried to put names with faces. It wasn't too hard; she recognized Pansy Parkinson, Blaise Zabini, and Sally-Anne Perks. "Thank you," Salem continued. "Now, I assume you all know Hermione Granger. _She, _my good comrades, _is the one we've been looking for. _My friends, _the Sovereign is finally complete. We have a singer. _

Everyone was quiet for a moment. The first to speak was Pansy; "Why her, Salem? Of all the people you could've recruited, why her? You _do _know the, er, basis of our objection, don't you?"

"Why yes, Pansy, I do know," Salem replied condescendingly. "But I happen to have an ace up my sleeve. Miss Granger is so _perfectly _what we're looking for that it far preponderates the disadvantage of not adhering to the strictures of our ancestors. And shame on you, about to reject something that would make us a real band, all because of the stupid ideals our parents instilled in us _ab incunabus. _Isn't that exactly what the Sovereign was formed against, following in the footsteps of the imbecilic snobs that raised us?" Salem sounded angry now. "But fine, be complete hypocrites and destroy every bit of respect we've earned for ourselves. What do I care?" He flopped down onto the seat next to Hermione, pouting as vividly as any gay man is capable of.

No one said anything for a while. Finally, Blaise and Sally-Anne exchanged looks and said in unison, "Fine."

Pansy followed their example, saying, "Yeah. If _you _think she'll be the best for it...we'll listen to you."

Salem looked assuaged. "You darn well better." He slung an arm around Hermione's shoulders and murmured to her quietly, "You see what I have to put up with? That's why I need _you_ to keep me from a complete bloody mental breakdown."

She laughed. "At your service, O Band-leader."

"OKAY! Would you two stop the whole buddy-buddy thing?" Malfoy broke in. "It's kind of weird, considering you, Salem, are gay and you, Granger, are...a girl, however much your friends may be unwilling to admit it."

"Why, thank you!" they both replied in unison.

"Oooh yeah," Sally-Anne Perks said, "thaaaat was creepy."

"Hmm, you know what's _creepier_?" Blaise asked. "The fact that Granger isn't with her usual flock of Gryffindorks. Now why is that?"

"Because," Hermione scowled, "I've become the pariah of Gryffindor Tower ever since I questioned Harry's authority and god-hood. Why do you ask? The last I recall, there would be no love lost between you and them, should we go our separate ways."

"Absolutely!" Blaise affirmed. "And good for you! Never thought I'd say this, Granger, but that was a smart move."

She grinned wryly. "Thanks, Zabini. Now if I could only get my housemates to see it that way...or find a way to get myself out of Gryffindor. Either way, though I think getting out of the whole house itself would be easier that trying to convince its members to see things my way."

" Have you thought of being Re-sorted?" Sally-Anne spoke up unexpectedly. "I'm sure Ravenclaw'd _love_ to have you. Or Slytherin. Not Hufflepuff, though. They're too goody-goody for anyone's taste. Although Cedric Diggory did pull it off quite nicely..."

"No!" Pansy shouted, shaking Sally-Anne. "Must...not...daydream...about...Hufflepuff. No matter how foxy they may be..." and with that, drifted off into a dreamlike state of her own.

" Umm...yeah." Hermione raised her eyebrows and averted her eyes. "_Anyway,_ how does one become Re-sorted.?"

To her surprise, Malfoy spoke up. "Just owl Dumbledore and request it. If you're quick enough, perhaps you can manage to be Re-sorted tonight...As Head Boy, I just have to know these things.

Later, they were all sitting in the Great Hall, yawning through the Sorting. Of course, Hermione sat alone at the Gryffindor table exchanging forlorn looks with Salem and Blaise (her new best guy friends) across the room. Unbeknownst to them, however, Hermione was mentally fretting away. She had owled Dumbledore from the train about the Re-sorting but had not received a reply. Before she knew it, the Sorting was over, and Dumbledore stood up to speak.

"Just minutes before you all arrived, I was quite surprised by an owl from this year's Head Girl, Hermione Granger. It seems that she wishes to participate in a Re-sorting, something most people do not opt for. She wishes to be taken out of Gryffindor House and placed somewhere else. Ms. Granger, if you please. Let the Re-sorting begin."

Nervously, she walked to the stool in the center of the Hall and placed the Sorting Hat on her head. "Anywhere but Gryffindor," she silently prayed.

"Hmm, not Gryffindor? But I was so certain!" The Sorting Hat exclaimed. "Well, people have been known to change their minds. You are a difficult one, though. Enough bravery, brilliance, commitment, and cunning for any house you should choose. Eh, I suppose this time you'll go to: SLYTHERIN!"

Hermione looked around. Harry, Ron, and co. all looked completely shocked, much to her cruel pleasure. She swapped triumphant glances with Salem and the Sovereign.

"Woo-hoo!" Blaise cheered. He was soon joined by Salem and Sally-Anne, then the rest of the band.

Grinning, she walked over to the Slytherin table and sat down among the band. Exultantly, she pointed her wand at her robe's insignia, changing it from the red and gold Gryffindor lion to the green and silver Slytherin snake.

"Hmm, as prefect for Slytherin, I suppose it's my duty to officially welcome you to the Dark Side!" Blaise winked.

" Thanks," Hermione laughed.

" And as the authorized representatives of the Evil Slytherin She-Devils," Sally-Anne announced, motioning to Pansy and herself, " we say, 'Welcome to the club'!"

"Oh?" she asked mischievously. "And what does membership to this club entail?"

"You'll see. Later," Pansy grinned. "It's a bit like an initiation that we all have to participate in upon being sorted into Slytherin. Of course, you're getting a bit of a late start, but you still have to take part."

"Should I be afraid?"

"Be afraid; be very afraid," Salem advised. " That's pretty much the motto of our house."

"The sooner you learn that, Granger, the better off you'll be," Malfoy contributed.

When the Sorting, Feast, and the usual speech by the Headmaster were over (thank God), the houses retired to their common rooms. Once they reached the dungeons, Pansy and Sally-Anne grabbed Hermione's arms and led her through the Commons and straight into the dorms. There, they plopped her down into a chair in front of a vanity-style dresser with a mirror.

"Ready for your initiation?" Pansy asked mischievously.


	4. An Scary Initiation and Sudden Gig

**Chapter Four- The Big Scary Initiation and Getting Booked**

Response to all reviews: Thanks so much for all of your support. I'm so sorry for my long hiatus. It was inexcusable; I WAS however on the other side of the country, so it wasn't by choice, per se. LOVE TO ALL! (Or, as I frequently misspell it: LVOE!)

**Excerpt from last chapter**:

**When the Sorting, Feast, and the usual speech by the Headmaster were over (thank God), the houses retired to their common rooms. Once they reached the dungeons, Pansy and Sally-Anne grabbed Hermione's arms and led her through the Commons and straight into the dorms. There, they plopped her down into a chair in front of a vanity-style dresser with a mirror.**

"**Ready for your initiation?" Pansy asked mischievously. **

"**...eh, not particularly, but do I really have a choice?" she shrugged helplessly.**

"**Nope, not at all!" Pansy giggled, as she covered the vanity mirror with black cloth. "We didn't either, but it turned out alright for us, so don't worry your little head! Oh, and by the way, you don't get to see until the very end."**

**Hermione glared at her, but softened. Pansy's tone, however patronizing, was well-meant. "Fine. Do your worst." She expected to regret that later.**

"**...Hmm...you could use some color. While being pale is generally accepted in Slytherin, being washed-out is not...eh, darling, is there a color that _doesn't _suit you? Sweet Rhinestone Jesus, that is so unfair...hmm, the Eyeliner Gods have smiled upon you, Hermione...and now for some new clothes...lovely...lovely...eh, vile, never wear polka dots agian...there, I think that should about do it...and now...**

**About two hours of conversation and comments (like those above), the Slytherin girls oh-so-dramatically ripped the black curtain off the mirror and sang, "Tah-DAH!"**

**Hermione marveled at her reflection. Her hair was straighter, but still lightly wavy in some places, she sported black/brown eyeliner with matching eyeshadow and shockingly shiny red lipstick. Her outfit was just as uncharacteristic. Black slacks with white pinstripes, a crisp white cotton button-down, a black vest, and a red tie matched the makeup perfectly and made her feel more classically punk than her usual pop-rock-ish attire. "Whoa," she muttered. "I think you guys really...eh, unleashed my inner rock icon."**

**They looked a little worried. "Do you like it?" Pansy asked.**

"**Because we can, eh, undo it if you want," Sally-Anne added. "We wouldn't do that for anyone else, mind you, but you are a somewhat special case. After all, no former Slytherins were ever Gryffindors."**

**After a moment of consideration, Hermione shook her head. "No. I like it. It _will _take some getting used to, but otherwise it's all good." She smiled reassuringly. "You did well. Thank you."**

**The girls grinned. But only very swiftly. After all, Slytherins are _never _overly excited, of course. "No problem," Pansy said.**

**They then showed her to her bed and bid her goodnight. Before going to sleep, she gave herself another look-over. "Hmph," she laughed a bit and smiled. "My first night as a Slytherin and I already can't recognize myself...which is fine by me."**

**The next day, things passed uneventfully. Classes resumed to their usual standard, and there were no run-ins with Harry and Ron for Hermione, due in part to the fact that the members of the Sovereign rarely left her side. It seemed they'd picked up on her wish to not have any contact with her former Gryffindor friends and were only to happy to oblige. She soon discovered that they each played their own unique role, both musically and socially. Salem was a natural-born leader and very amusing; as the lead guitarist, he never took himself too seriously and laughed often. Blaise, who was currently _dating _Salem, was an odd bird, so his choice of instrument, the quirky keyboard/synthesizer, was quite fitting. Pansy was usually very intense and good for serious conversation, but was humourously imperfect, which was endearing. She made a statement as the Sovereign's drummer (or, as she called it Mistress of Percussion). Draco was quiet but a forceful presence, really handy for when she wanted to do some I-Hate-Gryffindors angst-ing, and a brilliant bassist. Finally, Sally-Anne was girly and crazily spontaneous, regardless of her Slytherin-hood. She was possibly the strangest of the crew and was their technical support-slash-publicist. **

"**When's the next band meeting?" Hermione asked Salem on their way to N.E.W.T. Potions.**

"**Well, if you and the others will meet me out by the lake after classes, I have some big news. If you see any of them, let them know, would you? If you don't, I will."**

"**Sure, no problem. I have Pansy and Sally-Anne in my Trasfiguration class next period, so you'll just need to tell Malfoy and Blaise."**

"**Alright-y then. Hey, I always wondered, why do you and Draco refuse to use each others' first names?" Salem furrowed his brow.**

**She gave a little half-smile. "We have a...weird history. We don't hate each other anymore, of course. It's really mostly just habit. Besides, any other way would just be too odd."**

"**Eh, have it your way," Salem grinned malevolently. "It's more fun to order him around, though, when you use the FULL TITLE of Draco Lucius Albion Malfoy."**

**She glared at him playfully, "You _know_ I'm politically opposed to ordering anyone around."**

"**Pshaw. You only _think_ you are because you have not yet experienced the great joy of tyranny."**

**Later that evening, all the band members met directly after classes under a large autumn-y coloured maple by the lake. Salem stood while the other sat. He looked about to burst.**

"**Well, you said you had news," Malfoy demanded. "So?"**

"**_Well_, my lovely cousin," he replied, "Professor Dumbledore has informed me that he would like to book our band for the Back-to-School Ball. He's letting us know now so we can have plenty of time to practice. The ball itself is in two weeks."**

"**Two weeks!" Hermione yelled. "I'm the Head Girl, and I didn't even know we were having a ball!"**

"**Me either,"Malfoy shrugged. "I feel so...unloved by the faculty." He immediately began to feign crying. **

**Hermione smacked his arm. "Be serious. You really didn't know about this either?"**

**He shook his head. "Like I said,...the faculty hates us. They're threatened by our superior intelligence and-," he was silenced by yet another playful slap by Hermione.**

"**_Any_way," Salem continued, "we're going to be practicing every day after classes for about an hour so I suggest you clear your schedules. And, in case you're wondering, we'll be playing the entire night, so I also suggest you channel your inner Salazaar, break some hearts, and turn down anyone who asks you out."**

"**So we're ALL going stag?" Pansy demanded. "I love you all... to a reasonable extent. And this is just Unreasonable!"**

"**Not really. We'll be going as a group," Salem said. "So, technically, you'll have FIVE dates, albeit of varying sexes. That's alright with me, though." He gave Blaise's foot a teasing kick. "So...get psyched! We have our first official gig!"**

"**AHEM" Sally-Anne cleared her throat loudly.**

"**Oh, and everyone say thank you to Sally-Anne, our lovely publicist, for GETTING us this lovely engagement."**

**They all clapped raucously and hooted loudly. Apparently, they'd followed Salem's advice. They _were_ psyched!**


End file.
